News

Crackdown Hits Welland Crescent, Elsecar

Monday October 24 2011

A HUGE community clean-up campaign has hit Welland Crescent in Elsecar today (Monday, October 24) with some locals being issued warnings to come up to scratch.

South Yorkshire Police, the Fire Service, officers from the council's enviromental regulatory services and dog wardens moved onto the street at 11am as part of the two-day crackdown. There are also officers giving advice on benefit entitlements in a bid to crack down on fraudulent benefit claims.

People who have rubbish in their gardens are being asked to tidy it up and sent warning letters and 12 youngsters volunteered to help fill rubbish bags to clear the street this morning.

Free dog neutering and chipping is being offered, and the fire service is speaking to a select group of youths in a bid to reduce levels of arson. AddAction are also on the street, giving one to one advice to alcoholics and drug addicts.

PC Paul Davies, one of the officers who has organised the event, said: "I'm not going to lie, there is a drug problem on that street but it is not as bad as it was and the point is that we can steer these people in the right direction to try to get them some help.

"It's so easy for people to go 'it's a run down area' but a lot of work has gone on down there and it is improving. You can't just forget about it and leave it because there are decent people that live there as well and we need to help those. They shouldn't have to live with bags of rubbish and waste piled on the street."

The police started doing targeted operations on Welland Crescent three years ago, and removed 120 tonnes of rubbish, filling 13 large skips and 30 flat bed trucks.

He added: "We have to bring the standard up on the street, there are problems on there but there are a lot of good people here as well and even some of the bad people appreciate what's being done for them."

Tomorrow, the cancer unit will be visiting the street giving advice to locals on how to stop smoking and the community clean up will continue.

There are houses that have no windows or roofs &amp; have been repeatedly set on fire. There were promises that they would be compulsorily purchased and torn down if the landlords didn't deal with the problems but it has never happened. It is nice to see some interest being taken in the street but many locals feel a bit cynical about it as everything will be back to normal next week with open drug use, anti-social behaviour &amp; petty crime.

Its not just welland cres,I smell drugs often on people walking by,Im so glad my daughters want to work and live else where,its disgusting.There are LOTS of benefit cheats live in Hoyland,what amazes me there not ashamed and have no morals.

I moved onto this street a few months a go not really knowing what i have got myself into the middle of. The problem here is the parents they do not give two hoots about where their children are as long as they are not causing them grief. My windows get egged and my son gets eyed up by the teenagers on his way from school. There is rubbish everywhere not to mention the burning of wheelie bins and a strange woman that walks around in a bra and jogger bottoms that is obviously on drugs. The police are aware of the issues but cant seem to catch them in the act. My advice is to stop driving around in cctv vans and walk the area. There are some great families on this road that really do not deserve the constant harassment by the local scrubbers with not one bit of pride where they live. When my tenancy has finished i am running a mile!!!

Used to live here for 35 years until moving in 1990. Sad to see the old place in the state it's in now. Could see the writing on the wall and got out to make a new life for me and my partner down south and so glad we did. Just looked on Google maps and it looks worse than ever and the state of the road is shocking !